Two views of St. Chrysostom monastery

English, as on the record

Van de Bruyn visited Cyprus c. 1680. The two views present a perspective of the monasteries from an elevated position looking down. The monastery of Agios Chrysostomos (12th C.) lies under the castle of Buffavento. It was originally a Byzantine Orthodox monastery and, later, became Maronite until well into the Ottoman period. The monument is associated with the legend of Maria de Molino, a noble lady who suffered from leprosy and lived in seclusion in Buffavento castle. Her dog would daily visit a spring at the foothills and bathe in the water. It was soon cured from leprosy prompting its owner to do the same. In gratitude, De Molino built a church on the site and asked to be buried in it with her servants. The engraving is of particular value as it portrays the monastery long before it was restored in 1891. It is now the property of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It suffered its latest calamity in 1974 when it was bombarded by the Turkish air force. Presently, it lies within a Turkish military camp. The Bellapais Abbey (circa 1300) is a Latin monument portrayed here in the wilderness with no signs of surrounding habitation. The monument appears complete and the engraving is perhaps the oldest representation of the building. Bellapais Abbey subsequently suffered much damage and underwent changes. In both engravings, the artist included cypress and palm trees, typical of the flora of the island.